A Journey of Discovery
by TheLestrangeMistress
Summary: My name is Elizabeth Marie Noxon-Black. This story follows my discovery of my real family, friendship, love and the joys of being a parent. Follow me on this journey and im sure you will discover something too...
1. Chapter 1

My name is Elizabeth Marie Noxon-Black and this is my story

My name is Elizabeth Marie Noxon-Black and this is my story. I have laughed, cried, loved and lost during the years, but, I have also met some amazing people. Without these people I would not be where I am today. I am writing this as a dedication to them.

To my husband Sirius, I love you more than anything in the world. You have shown me how love could be and should be. I don't know what I would do without you.

To my kids, I love each and every one of you. You are all precious to me and I will always think of you as my little ones.

To the rest of my family, thank you for sticking by me through everything.

To my amazing friends, thank you for putting up with me all these years, I know it can't have been easy for you.

Lastly, thank you to my mum. I know you're not here with me but, you made me who I am. You gave me everything I could have asked for. I love you, rest in peace.

I am going to start at the very beginning with my birth.

Prologue

"_Just one more push and you will be done." The healer said._

"_I can't, it's too painful. I can't push anymore." The young woman replied in a fluster. The next moment a pain she had never felt before shot through her body. She let an involuntary scream escape her._

"_Come on now Lucy, just one more push and it will be over." Her mother whispered soothingly into her daughter's ear. Ophelia Noxon never thought this day would come so early. Her daughter was only twenty and was giving birth to a baby, practically on her own. Even she didn't start having children until she was twenty six._

"_It's time for the last push." The healer announced. "You really need to put what's left of your energy into this. It will be over in a few minutes."_

_The next few minutes passed in a blur for Luciana. All she remembered was the instant relief of pain and the feeling of a baby in her arms. "Welcome to the world Elizabeth Marie Noxon." This was the only proper time she held her baby, for not long after she gave her up._

Six weeks had passed since I entered the world and my mother took me to a muggle adoption agency. The decision was that I would somehow be safer in the muggle world came after the trouble Voldemort was causing in the wizarding one.

My mother was right of course. Only a month after I was given up Death Eaters called at our door. They had said many times that they did not want to join their ranks and my mother went as far as saying she would oppose them. This time they had no mercy and murdered them.

My father was rumoured to have been a Death Eater and it was also said my family were killed for my whereabouts. Both of these rumours have no real basis. However, the former is strongly suggested to be true. She had dated a known Death Eater before and it could easily have been him. The only thing disclosed about him in her journals was that he was a pureblood, like her.

Many years passed and I had a happy childhood. The only disappointment came was when my adoptive father walked out when I was eleven. I never understood why. I always thought I had done something wrong, until I found my Hogwarts letter. It was dated 21st July 1981; he left because of my magic.

1995 is the year my story really starts. I was already a mother and on a journey of parenthood. The new one I would discover would take me to places I never knew existed.

Chapter One – 1995 the Year of Discovery

February 21st , one of the worst days of my life.

_Many people were standing around the table watching the children eat. The room was decorated with pink streamers and banners, all saying 'Happy Birthday Evangeline'. I couldn't believe my baby was three, it felt like yesterday that I was pregnant._

"_This is a really nice party Sally." My friend Penny said._

"_Thanks Penny. Can you believe it's been three years already?" I asked._

"_No." she chuckled. "It seems only yesterday you were ringing up asking how to do things. Has Steve been in contact?" she asked delicately. _

"_No he hasn't. I don't expect him to either." I replied. Steve was Evangeline's father and he practically abandoned me. He said that caring for a baby was 'too much responsibility he could handle'. "I'm going to get the cake now. Please can you turn out the lights when I get to the door?"_

"_Sure."_

_I went into the kitchen and collected the cake. It was in the shape of a fairy. Eva loved fairies for some unknown reason. She was obsessed with their wings and wished she could fly as well. I would often find her standing on the edge of my bed, or the arm of the sofa ready to jump off at any moment. _

_I lit the candles one by one. I walked into the dining room which was lit dimly. Everyone started singing_

'_Happy birthday to you_

_Happy birthday to you_

_Happy birthday dear Eva_

_Happy birthday to you'_

"_Make a wish then blow out the candles sweetie." I whispered in her ear._

_Just as everyone was leaving there was a knock at the door. I answered it and a police man stood there._

"_Can I help you?" I asked the officer._

"_Yes, are you Miss Wilson, daughter of Ruth Wilson? The officer replied._

"_Yes. What is this about?"_

"_Can I come in Miss?"_

"_Of course." I said worriedly._

_We entered the sitting room which was conveniently unoccupied._

"_What is this about? Has something happened?" I inquired._

"_Miss Wilson, I am very sorry to tell you this but, your mother was involved in a car accident this afternoon. I am very sorry but she didn't make it." The officer said gently._

"_What em, what happened?" I asked stuttering from emotion._

"_The Spanish police said that an oncoming vehicle which was overtaking collided into her." _

_I felt as if my whole life had come crashing down. The one person I thought would always be there was now gone. I should have been so happy, it was my daughter's birthday, but, now it had been smeared with sadness because of this, the death of my mum._

"_Here you go." The officer said offering me a tissue._

"_Thank you." I sniffled. It wasn't until that moment I noticed the tears running down my face._

I never got over that for a long time. I had to go to Spain and that's where my biggest discovery came and the biggest lie which had ever been told to me. I wasn't prepared to what I would find out.


	2. Chapter 2

I walked into the Ministry of Magic and couldn't believe what I saw. In front of me was a golden fountain with a witch and wizard surrounded by what I think are magical creatures.

A slightly old man came to me and asked "Excuse me Miss, can I see your wand please?"

"I'm afraid I don't have a wand. I have an appointment with Madame Bones shortly though." I replied calmly.

The man looked at me strangely, as if not having a wand was abnormal. "I'll let you pass Miss, it would be better in future if you had a wand though."

I politely asked him where her office was and joined the crowd and proceeded to there. If I was in awe of the fountain of gold, then I was even more in awe of all the magic being used around me. I felt like a child in a toy store for the first time, I was glancing everywhere with wide eyes. I got to the lift and waited until level two was announced. I slipped out of their and made my way to her office and knocked before being asked to enter.

Once inside the office I could tell that she was a very neat person. It looked as if there were specific places for things and that they were not to be moved. My eyes finally made contact with her. She had a square shaped jaw and grey hair; her face looked old but gave off an air of kindness.

"Please take a seat Miss Noxon." She said in a friendly tone. "I understand you have some questions regarding your family?"

"That is correct. I have only recently found out about my adoption and wanted to know more about my birth family. I went to the muggle adoption agency and received the letter my mother wrote me. The letter however only explained the reason why she gave me up. I decided to then contact the Ministry to find out what I could and they put me in contact with you." I replied.

"I only really know the things which my department have dealt with I'm afraid. The Noxon's were one of the oldest pureblood families, probably as old as the Malfoy's. Your grandfather, Stephen, was asked to join the death eater's several times. He refused every time even with their threats of hurting your grandmother, Ophelia. They tried to coerce him into doing things by force but it never worked because he fought it. It was then they decided to kill him. Just after he died your aunt Isabella married a man named Cassius Alderton, he was a known death eater but we could not find any solid evidence against him. We did eventually and he died in Azkaban a short while ago, it is also rumoured that he was the one to kill your grandfather." She stopped there as if to catch her breath.

I had started to feel numb. How could my aunt have done that? Marry the person who had probably killed her father? The idea was beyond me. Even if I loved someone I could never forgive them for that.

"Do you have any idea what happened to my aunt?" I enquired. I really wanted to know what happened. If she was alive I would make a mental note to visit.

"The last I heard she was living at their manor in the country. I don't know anything else though, I'm sorry." She replied. "Your mother was different to her sister; she only dated fellow purebloods to keep appearances up. In one of her diaries she commented that she didn't want anyone to know where her true loyalty lay and tried to keep out of it. Luciana, Ophelia and your great aunt Rosaline were murdered shortly after you were given up. They had tried to persuade them to join; they were having none of it. Death Eater's were being completely ruthless at the time and instead of cursing them and making them carry out deeds they killed them." She told me in a whisper, as if it would tear my soul.

"These diaries you mentioned, have you still got them?" I managed to choke out.

"Yes we do. I will send for someone to get them." Turing around to write and send an interdepartmental note, I was left feeling shocked and even more numb than I was before.

I couldn't understand how someone could physically do that to someone else. I may have had to face bigger things when I was studying criminal psychology but this was personal, this was my family they murdered. It looked as if my aunt hadn't battered an eyelid about the fact that her family was dead. She obviously hadn't cared enough for them. I felt anger towards the people who had done it, the cause they had done it for and the name they had done it under.

A soft knock sounded on the door and I was pulled out of my thoughts. "Come in." I heard Mme Bones answer. A woman around the same age as me, with vivid pink hair entered the office.

"These are the diaries you requested Amelia."

"Thank you Nymphadora." Mme Bones replied.

"No problem." The woman said as she turned and left the office.

Turning back around to me, she informed me that they took the diaries as they might have held information as to who was trying to intimidate them or who could have killed them. Unfortunately this wasn't so and no information was found.

"Another you should know is that your mother left you her fortune and your grandmother left you half of hers. The other half went to your aunt Isabella. Are there any other questions you would like to ask?" questioned.

Thinking for a moment there was only one question I wanted to know the answer to.

"Would it be possible for me to study magic?"

Pursing her lips in concentration she responded a minute later. "I'm not completely sure, you will have to see Mr Chase in the Education department, and he will be able to tell you more. I should probably think that you would, considering you received your Hogwarts letter.

"Thank you."

A knock on the door indicated that our time was up. I once again thanked her for all the information she had given me and left. I made my way to the education department and made an appointment with Mr Chase through his secretary.

Two weeks had passed since my meetings with Mme Bones and Mr Chase. He had informed me that the Ministry did a course which a witch or wizard could take if they for some reason did not have magical education. The course was to start on September 1st, the same day as Hogwarts opened and would cover the syllabus for O.W.L's and N.E.W.T's.

I was travelling to the Leaky Cauldron and hoped that a fellow with or wizard would help me enter Diagon Alley. I entered the Inn and had to adjust my eyesight. The room was quite dim and took a couple of minutes getting used to. I walked over to where the barman was and said "Excuse me, I'm sorry to disturb you, but I haven't got a wand to get into Diagon Alley with, is it possible that you could do it for me?" I asked.

"Of course Miss. Just follow me." He replied leading me out the back way and opening the gateway for me.

I stood there a minute in complete awe. The street was busy with people shopping. There were so many different places there I was amazed. I remembered that the barman was still there and turned and thanked him.

I joined the hustle and bustle of the street as I set off towards Gringotts. I fumbled in my deep pocket for the key and sighed in relief as i felt the cold metal against my skin. As I reached Gringotts my sight became blinded by the reflected light. The sun's rays were reflecting off the white stone which made it impossible to see. I made contact with the person in front of me. A witch with a stern looking face turned around. I apologised blaming the sun's reflection for it, the woman smiled and nodded saying the same has happened to her before. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

When I entered the bank I couldn't help but be fascinated with Goblin's. I tried not to stare but it was hard not to. They seemed like fearsome, ugly creatures which were not to be crossed.

When I arrived at my vault I was astounded at what I saw. Gold, silver and bronze coins glittered in the light. I took enough money to last me a while and had filled two purses with it. I intended on getting all the course supplies now, so I did not have to rush around at the last minute. I also intended on practising basic spells and potions so I didn't start from scratch like everybody else.

I made my way around all the shops, even the ones I didn't need to go in. I spent more in Flourish and Blott's than I had wanted to but my thirst for knowledge was overpowering. Two of the books I bought were titled '1000 Interesting Facts of British Magic' by Maxus Grimshaw and 'A Simple Guide to Wizarding Britain' by Octavius Felix. It was amazing to see what the street had to offer but some off the shops smelt like rotting food. The last place I went to was Ollivander's. I knew that once I had a wand I would feel like a witch, it meant that I would become what I was born to be.

I entered the shop and a bell tinkered over the door. I looked around nervously as the owner had yet to appear. Suddenly there was a movement from the back and a man with white hair stepped forward.

"Miss Noxon, I remember your mother buying her wand, Oak, male unicorn hair, 12 inches. I thought I would have seen you before now, but alas you are here." He said silkily whilst shuffling boxes around. "Try this one." He said handing me a wand. I flicked it and papers flew into the air. "No, that's not right. How about this one, Hawthorn, dragon heartstring 10½ inches?"

As I took the wand blue sparks flew out of the end and a nonexistent wind surrounded me. I knew then that this was my wand.

"The wand chooses the wizard, or witch in this case. That would be twenty galleons please."

I paid him and thanked him for his services as I left and headed to Eeylops Owl Emporium. I picked a tawny owl named Fawn. After that I left Diagon Alley with everything I had bought. I dropped the stuff off at home before I went to pick up Eva. I was hard explaining to her what magic was and why she couldn't tell anyone about it.


	3. Chapter 3

Elizabeth had been learning magic for six months now. She had excelled in Defence against the Dark Arts and Potions, but was failing miserably in Herbology and History of Magic. She could not remember the names of plants in their Latin form, and in History of Magic she mixed up dates and names of Wizarding history and muggle history. She had soon gone onto the second year syllabus and was enjoying it thoroughly.

Whilst she enjoyed studying very much the thought of her aunt's betrayal lingered in her mind. It seemed to seep into her thoughts when she least expected it. Elizabeth felt as is something was wrong about the whole thing. How could her aunt have done that?

As Elizabeth drove slowly up the drive she could see an old grand house standing in slight ruin. Its former grandeur lost as if a sailor to the sea. She parked up, and looked around as if she was trying to spot an old gardener or a maid around forgetting she was at a Wizarding house and more than likely had a house elf.

She felt more nervous than ever and wondered what her aunt's reaction to her sudden appearance would be. Stepping out of her car she headed to the door. A fleeting feeling of fear passed through her, but it was gone like the gust of a wind. Elizabeth took the tarnished black knocker and thrust it towards the door. She heard the echo of it from outside and two loud cracks from the other side of the door.

Two house elves had come to greet her. They were wearing tea towels as a mark of their enslavement.

"Morning Miss, Dizzy is here to help. What is Miss's name? Dizzy asked.

"My name is Elizabeth Noxon and I am Isabella Alderton's niece." She replied.

"I will fetch my mistress for you Miss Elizabeth." Said the other elf who disappeared with another crack.

"May I take your coat Miss Elizabeth?"

"I'm okay Dizzy, but thank you." Elizabeth replied kindly. She wondered how they were treated by her aunt. One thing was certain though that they were told to respect witches and wizards and serve and obey them and not to question it.

A few moments later and the other elf walked with a woman in tow. A woman in her mid forties who looked as if she had seen better times appeared. With a blank expression on her face she walked around Elizabeth, like a bird inspecting its prey. She came to a standstill in front of her, Elizabeth felt as if she was going to be attacked at any moment, but she was wrong.

"Why are you here?" Her voice drawled. "You have no right to disturb my peace. What bastard of a blood traitor do you think you are? You're like my good for nothing sister I can tell by the way you look at me."

"I came here for the truth. I want answers and you are the only one who can give me them." Elizabeth replied calmly.

"Answers? What useful answers could I give you?" she asked.

"Why you abandoned your family, why you married your fathers killer and most of all what truly happened to my mother. I know that you know what happened, probably even set it up as payback for their beliefs." Elizabeth replied.

"How dare you accuse me of such things! Set it up? You're wrong, more wrong than you could have ever imagined." She said flying into a rage and shaking her head as if trying to get rid of horrible scenes within it.

It seemed to Elizabeth that she had mistaken her aunt's attitude for something else. There was something bigger than this going on; something she didn't understand, and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

"What do you mean I know nothing? I know that you betrayed your family and your beliefs for a man who is now dead after rotting in prison for crimes which are too terrible to even talk about. What else could there possibly be? Unless you are hiding something else from the world?"

"I will not give you what you want. I made those decisions because I wanted to, no other reason. Tell me, have your ever been in love?" Isabella asked.

"Yes, but I don't see what this has got to do with it."

"Have you ever been so in love that you would do anything for them even give up your own family?"

"No. I had someone I loved once, someone who told me to give up my chance at being a mother. I couldn't do that so I left. It broke me, but now a have a perfect little girl that I cannot live without."

"Then you have no idea what it was like for me. My husband did not kill my father. The evidence may suggest it, but he didn't. The people in his circle of Death Eaters did it; they said it was on his orders so either way he would have been sent to Azkaban."

They stood in silence for a moment. Elizabeth was taking in all that her aunt had said. She had deserted everything for love and had been repaid by spending no time with the one she risked everything for. There was still more to it. She couldn't have just meant that. There had to be something deeper only she did not know what.

"It was a major risk to marry the person you loved if they were a known Death Eater."

Isabella sighed. "I know it was, but I loved him. It didn't seem to matter to me. I was young and foolish, and I thought that it wouldn't matter. Not every Death Eater was caught, not every Death Eater died. I suppose you couldn't stop the inevitable, if something was meant to be it was meant to be."

"You don't have any regrets then?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

"None. I would do it over in a heartbeat if I had to. Yes I have been lonely these past few years, but so are all those wives without their husbands and those husbands without their wives and parents without their children. Just because he did terrible things does not mean I will stop loving him."

They drifted back into silence each thinking about what the other had said.

"You have a daughter? I always wanted to be a mother, but I never got the chance." Isabella commented.

"Yes I do. She is the best thing to ever happen to me."

"Look after her. I am sorry, but I need to rest. I hope you got what you were looking for. Goodbye Elizabeth." Isabella said.

"Goodbye Isabella, I'm here if you ever need me." Elizabeth replied as she walked out of the house.

When she reached her car she looked back at the front door as it was closing. She had the sense that although her aunt was telling the truth there was more to it. Why had her attitude changed so much when she has asked for answers? She had to get to the bottom of it, but for now she would settle going to the order meeting which had been arranged.

She had been friends with Tonks ever since they had bumped into each other during her first week of training. They had started to get to know each other by spending lunchtimes in the cafeteria and having drinks at home. Tonks asked many questions about what she had thought about the war and whether she stood with Fudge believing that Voldemort was still gone or with Harry and Dumbledore that he had risen again. She answered saying that she would never be a Death Eater as they killed her birth mother and the rest of her family. Elizabeth went on to say that why shouldn't she believe Harry or Dumbledore that he was back? She agreed that it was best to get a plan under way when most of the Wizarding world was oblivious to his return. This was what Tonks wanted to hear because she had asked her to join the order a few weeks later.

Elizabeth arrived at the square which housed Grimmauld Place. It looked as if it had seen better days as bushes overhung the railings and weeds had grown in between the slabs on the street. The house of Black stood out more than the rest. Although anyone outside of the order could not see it, it was the dirtiest, but it couldn't be helped. No one had lived in it since Sirius's mother had died after he had been incarcerated in Azkaban, and the elf Kreacher obviously hadn't been cleaning otherwise Molly Weasley would not have had to make it habitable.

Elizabeth had at first found Sirius to be childish and immature, but she soon realised that he had never had a proper chance to grow up. She also saw that in Snape as well. Neither could be mature enough to stop their sniping which often ended up interrupting the order meetings. Luckily Remus Lupin had been mature enough to call a truce. She sometimes felt that some order members did not trust her. She was told that Moody was suspicious of everybody and that she shouldn't think anything of it. Others however she just tried to get to know and make them see that she was different. Mr Weasley was very interested about the fact she had grown up in the muggle. He kept asking Elizabeth how things like a toaster worked and the same question he posed to Harry a few years before; what was the function of a rubber duck?

Elizabeth knocked lightly on the door. She had learnt her lesson quite early on not to ring the doorbell or knock too loud otherwise the portrait of Sirius's mother would howl insults at anybody who passed her. It was a sight trying to shut her up; Sirius himself would just try to yell louder than his mother which sounded like a riot had started. Tonks, however, still kept on tripping over the umbrella stand.

The door opened, but she couldn't tell who let her in. They lead Elizabeth straight to the kitchen where the meeting was being held. It looked as if she was the last to arrive and ended up standing at the end of the table near the door. Tonight was the day before they were going to fetch Harry from his Aunt's house. The plans were gone over in minute detail to make sure that everyone who was going knew what to do and then to discuss more shifts for the Department of Mysteries. Her job in all of this was to scout around for information, what other's believed and what the ministry was putting into action. Although other's may have had more leverage than Elizabeth, because they had higher connections she, however, could be seen as ignorant on the basis that I had not been in the Wizarding world for that long. There was another report by Snape and the usual interruption when he snidely remarked to Sirius that he was risking his life while Sirius was just sat there.

"To be fair Severus, what would you do if you were being hunted by the ministry as an escaped convict? You couldn't go anywhere without being recognised and hauled in and put back in Azkaban. That's the reality of it, now I know you two don't get along, but please try and understand each other's situation a little. I'm getting bored with your fighting." Elizabeth said.

Sirius just turned and looked at me as if I was crazy. It seemed as if no one had properly interrupted them fighting like that. Later on after tea though when Elizabeth, Tonks, Remus and Sirius were alone sitting in the dining room discussing the current situation when Sirius turned and said "Thanks by the way about what you said to Snape, the greasy git deserved it."

"It's okay, but you should lay off him once in a while. I know you hate each other, but he does give us useful information." Elizabeth replied.

Sirius looked at her again as if she was crazy and then said "I will if he will." And that was the end of the conversation. Elizabeth soon said her goodbyes and left to be with her daughter.


End file.
